Here is all I could find out about empire deluxe:
"Q: Is Empire Deluxe available commercially?
A: Only if you look carefully and get lucky. New World Computing and its parent company, 3D0, have ceased producing ED and their customer service department does not seem willing to answer any questions about the game. There is a good chance however that you can find a used copy of ED advertised for sale on the newsgroups ( e.g., comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.marketplace ) for a reasonable price. "
You can download a java version of empire deluxe to play against people. Just look around this site.